PORT ANTONIO, Portland — The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) says that the People’s National Party’s (PNP) decision to pull out of the national debate is probably not a spur-of-the-moment action, but a carefully orchestrated strategy to ensure that the PNP does not have to face the people of Jamaica.

West Portland Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz on Thursday called on the ruling party to sign and participate in the debates leading to the general election on February 25.

Vaz, speaking to the media after the signing of the Code of Conduct, said that he hopes the proposed lawsuit of the leader of the Opposition by the Prime Minister is not used as a smokescreen to avoid the debates.

“I really hope that this is not a ploy to use that as an excuse not to debate. It is very critical that the two parties debate next week Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday so that we can give the country a clear indication of the policies and programmes,” Vaz said

“One slogan is ‘Step up the progress’ and one slogan ‘Poverty to Prosperity’ so let’s hear how we are going to step up the progress and how we are going to move from poverty to prosperity. There is no question about whether the debate has to happen, it must happen and civil society, the private sector must intervene and demand not just for the Labour Party making a call, demands that it happens as the PNP is playing for time,” he added.

Meanwhile, the JLP in a press release Friday added that the government’s weak and inadequate excuses are an indication of their arrogance and the scant regard they have for the people of Jamaica.

 “It is clear that the PNP is afraid that the debates will expose their lack of real progress and plans to grow the economy and improve people’s lives,” the JLP release said.

Vaz, on Thursday, said that the Debate Commission had to finalise all the arrangements with the media house by Friday in order to make time for the debates.

“This thing has been going on from 2015 and there is a MOU in place, all that needs to happen is a signature, and I say to the government and the People’s National Party ‘you can run but you can’t hide’,” Vaz added.

Everard Owen